Introducing poetry through the Japanese haiku

Teachers believe that each child is a creative individual possessing an active imagination. The imagination is both a seeing and shaping power. In children, the imagination is a marked capacity for the intent, absorbed seeing of the actual, accompanied by strong responsiveness of feeling. Whenever the imagination is stirred concentration is heightened. Facts do not necessarily absorb and interest young children, nor are they inevitably excited by their own environment. One needs the catalyst of an active imagination in the teachers, to relate the facts to the child's experience, to bring the environment to life in the child's mind. One of the major purposes of education is to bring children as far as possible to true 'seeing', to make them capable of honesty towards fact and feeling. All teachers want their pupils to be responsive to experience, to develop in sympathy and understanding so as to express themselves fluently in speech and writing.peer-reviewe

Education put to the question : education and man's destiny

It is over two hundred years since Rousseau wrote Emile in which he expressed his stupefaction at the way men were educated in the mid-eighteenth century. Was it really necessary for human beings to adapt themselves to the educational system? Would it not be better for the system to be adapted to the needs of men? The fundamental question was clearly stated. Regularly since then, for each succeeding generation, the relationship between education and life has been the subject of innumerable studies. The list of protests, proposals and projects are endless. After Jean-Jacques Rousseau came Jean-Henri Pestalozzi in Switzerland, Friedrich Froebel in Germany, Bertrand Russell in England, John Dewey in the United States, Celestin Freinet in France, Anton Makarenko in the Soviet Union, Maria Montessori in Italy and dozens of other pioneers of educational reform. Nor should we forget all those philosophers whose first concern also was the education and development of man. Reading the writings of Hegel, Comte or Nietzsche we find reference to this same preoccupation - how can man, through his experiences, his thought processes and his relationship with others, develop his personality, strive constantly to improve himself and achieve real, untrammled, tangible self-liberation.peer-reviewe

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

A 61-year-old gentleman who lives with his wife and 20-year-old son, presented to the polyclinic with a four week history of pruritus. On examination he was found to be jaundiced and his LFTs were high. Consequently he was referred to Mater Dei Hospital where, following ERCP and MRCP, he was found to have a tumour of the head of the pancreas, causing a stricture of the common bile duct, with consequent obstructive jaundice. The patient was planned for Whipple’s operation (pancreatico-duodenectomy), which was extended to total pancreatectomy, splenectomy and cholecystectomy. The operation was successful and the patient is recovering.peer-reviewe

An audit of compliance of inhaled steroid medication in Maltese asthmatic children : a comparison between 2008 and 2014

In the treatment of bronchial asthma, inhaled therapy with bronchodilators and corticosteroids represents the basis for acute and long-term management. Drug therapy in asthma is predominantly by pressurized metered dose inhalers. The impact of treatment on the disease morbidity and mortality depends to a large extent on appropriate delivery of drugs to the lungs by means of a spacer device and on the continuity of treatment. Poor compliance with medication is a well known problem in conditions which require long-term treatment. This is especially so in asthma where initial improvement may be followed by longer remission and a tendency to stop treatment. Compliance is "the extent to which a person’s behaviour (in terms of taking medications, following diets, or executing lifestyle changes) coincides with medical or health advice." 1. Compliance with preventive therapy such as inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), the effects of which are seen over a period of weeks, may be less than compliance with drugs that relieve asthma symptoms more rapidly such as bronchodilators. To our knowledge there are no previous studies which have assessed the prevalence of non-compliance with inhaled corticosteroids in Maltese children.peer-reviewe

Exploring beginning teachers' perceptions of their preparation and professional development in Malta

The Maltese Government, being concerned about the quality of school education, is attempting to increase teacher effectiveness and student learning. To achieve these goals, it is argued, that current in-service programmes need to be improved and focused, especially by giving due attention to the induction phase. The important phase of induction within the professional development continuum for teachers is lacking. Schools need to devise appropriate professional induction seminars and workshops for new teachers to extend their professional knowledge and skills acquired during the pre-service stage. As such a number of discussion documents, research studies and papers have and are being written in order to provide the authorities with the appropriate data on which to base future educational policies in relation to teacher preparation and induction schemes. This paper explores the perceptions of primary and secondary school teachers who are currently in their induction phase (i.e. their first three years after graduation). It reports the views of around three cohorts (approximately 300 teachers) about two main areas: teacher preparation and professional development. The methodological approach adopted was a questionnaire survey followed by in-depth interviews of around 18 teachers. Through this study we hope to shed light on ways and means of improving the current B.Ed (Hons) teacher education programme and also point out how teachers feel once they are full-time graduates. This will provide direction as to how the education authorities, the respective teacher training institutions and schools in particular can support beginning teachers. The essential link between pre-service and continuing professional development is explored and identified as key to quality improvements at the school level. New teacher induction schemes for the Maltese education system are discussed.peer-reviewe

Authentic educational leadership for 21st century Malta : breaking the bonds of dependency

Currently educational leadership in Malta is undergoing a radical transformation at both systems and school level. The Maltese education authorities are decentralising a number of responsibilities to the school site. This paper argues that whilst creating the self-managing school is the way forward to improve the quality of education there is doubt as to what leadership model, if any, central authorities are trying to institutionalise at both systems and school level. It is argued that central authorities need to project a clear vision which will help schools establish a professional culture which offers choice, authority and responsibility. Whilst the changes that await us call for adaptive and technical challenges, a claim is made for a focus on the human side of management. The paper highlights the importance of principle-centred leadership, a leadership which finds its source in the intellect, heart, mind and souls of individuals and one which is sustained through meaningful relationships. Educational managers need to be given opportunities to develop as persons with special focus on areas like learning, creativity, values, empowerment and collegiality.peer-reviewe

Rethinking teachers' professional development in Malta : agenda for the twenty-first century

The Maltese Government, being concerned about the quality of school education, is attempting to increase teacher effectiveness and student learning. To achieve these goals, it is argued that current in-service programmes need to be improved and focused for all school leaders and teachers. Whilst emphasising the need to focus on school-based development initiatives, it is also emphasised that the school head needs to start promoting teacher development from within. Heads can do much to improve teaching and learning by using professional formative evaluation of their staff. For this to be achieved heads require specific training. Organisations such as the Faculty of Education need to be more involved in providing up-to-date staff development for all educational leaders and other educators.peer-reviewe

A preliminary survey of the teaching of history and social studies in Maltese state primary schools

Man emerges as a central figure in all the work in Social Studies. The aim of this brief study is to check if and to what extent current ideas on the teaching of the subject are being actually implemented in Maltese State Primary Schools from Year 3 to Year 6 so that they will fit adequately into the concept and definition of Social Studies as described above.peer-reviewe

Developing Measures of Severity and Frequency of Reconviction

This report examines the scope for focusing on the seriousness and frequency of recidivism and presents methodology for determining how to measure offence seriousness, and how to measure frequency of offending. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of combining these two measures into a combined seriousness/frequency score. However, one needs to recognise that the task of providing alternative measures of recidivism is not simply a technical exercise, for there are both philosophical and practical issues to confront. Hence, while the main body of the report focuses largely on the feasibility of producing the alternative measures and provides some solid evidence of developing these approaches (sections 3-5), the philosophical issues – which embrace definitional, conceptual and moral concerns – are not overlooked (see section 2). Furthermore, some of the practical issues of introducing these measures are recognised in the final section (section 6). First, however, what are the stated aims and objectives of the work

From centralisation to decentralisation : the real challenges facing educational reforms in Malta

Explores the crucial components behind current educational reform practices in Malta. These are aimed at decentralising responsibilities to schools through a system of networking. This paper aims to present the education authorities with an introductory critique that contextualises the potential networking of schools within the nurturing of inclusive learning communities. It is argued that unless the principles of hope, faith, commitment, individual and collective worth are established, then networks will not on their own work to bring about desired change in the quality of education. The paper takes networking between schools beyond identified school activities to issues of management and leadership. The benefits are presented alongside the various tensions and concerns that need to be addressed.peer-reviewe